1. Background Information
The “Apparatus, System and method, that permits the manufacturing of steel poles and steel honeycomb columns”, produces steel poles and steel honeycomb columns.
Steel poles and honeycomb columns are cylindrical structures that can be built in many different lengths, diameters and sizes, depending on the type of application for which they will be used.
Poles and honeycomb columns are made with high-strength, low-alloy steel conforming to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). Trapezoidal or triangular steel plaques are welded to form a multi-sided cylindrical structure. Welding should comply with the American Welding Society (AWS) standards. Poles normally have a finishing coating to protect them from corrosion; the different types of finishes are galvanizing, painting or self-weathering.
Steel poles and honeycomb columns are designed in accordance with industry standards and/or end user specifications. The most common industry standards are ASTM, AWS and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards.
Steel poles require far less land and have less foundation costs than other tower types. Moreover, poles require less maintenance because they have practically no associated hardware (bolts, screws, angles). They are better looking and less obtrusive structures in the skyline than other tower types.
Steel poles and honeycomb columns can be used in a wide range of applications. Normal markets for these poles are:                Traffic and lighting. This segment includes all the structures to which lighting and traffic control structures are attached for a wide range of applications: streets, highways, parking lots, commercial and residential developments. Area lighting structures range in height from 90 to 150 feet; traffic structures range        Power transmission. Steel poles can be used by utilities to transmit and distribute electricity to their customers. Power transmission poles can be divided into transmission, sub transmission and distribution poles depending on the voltage they carry. Transmission poles could carry 115 to 400 kilovolts (kV); sub transmission poles normally carry voltage in the 69 to 138 kV range, and distribution poles in the 13.8 to 34.5 kV range.        The difference between each one of these poles is the height of the structure and the type and size of attachments, special equipment mounting brackets and other accessories. The difference between each one of these poles is the height of the structure and the type and size of attachments, special equipment mounting brackets and other accessories.        Telecommunications. In the telecoms industry, poles are used to support cellular transmitter and receiver devices. These structures range in height from 30 to 1000 feet. These structures should be designed to meet customer specifications and site factors, which include the number of antennas on the structure, wind and soil conditions or geographical location. Due to the size of these structures, engineering and design procedures are extremely important factors to ensure that each structure meets performance and safety specifications.        Wind Power. Wind power structures generate electricity by harnessing the wind. These structures are composed of a wind turbine and the generator equipment. The wind turbine is mounted over a steel pole. These poles are wider in diameter and have an elliptic shape to provide adequate support against wind speeds. The steel used in these structures is thicker than in the other applications.        High-rise Buildings. In the construction of high-rise buildings, columns are used as part of the structure to support the floors of the building. These columns should be designed to meet customer specifications and local building codes.        Bridges. The bridge structure is mounted on steel columns to support the structure in the air to clear the pass way of the bridge. The columns should be designed to comply with all engineering codes that apply to the construction of the bridge.        
Steel poles, and steel honeycomb columns offer a variety of possibilities to end users:                Flexibility. Steel poles can be custom designed to support larger and heavier loadings with longer spans between structures, as well as meet greater height requirements. This means fewer poles to purchase and install. Industries that benefit: Utilities.        Less steel. Steel honeycomb columns, use less steel to support a load. The honeycomb structure permits the reduction of the thickness of the steel used in a steel column. Industries that benefit: High Rise Buildings and Bridges.        Easy-to-Use. The poles can be pre-drilled to accommodate special customer framing requirements and most existing hardware can easily be used on steel structures. Industries that benefit: Utilities, Lighting and Traffic.        Environmental: Steel poles comply with EPA regulations. Steel poles are non-toxic and recyclable, reducing disposal problems and costs. Industries that benefit: Utilities, Lighting and Traffic, Telecommunications.        Maintenance: Less hardware (bolts, screws) means less maintenance work to do. Steel is not susceptible to damage by external factors (animals, fires) like concrete or wood poles. Industries that benefit: Utilities.        Lead Time. Manufacturing time for poles is lower than for other types of structures meaning faster time to deploy; installation time is also lower thus saving labor costs. Industries that benefit: Utilities, telecommunications.        
There are two broad segments where this development could be a meaningful advance.                Steel Pole and Honeycomb column Consumers. The consumers of these poles are the same that were mentioned in section Background of this document. They can get the following benefits:                    Lower Pole and column Manufacturing Costs. The cost saving advantages of the process might push manufacturers to lower their pole prices in benefit of end users.            Lower lead time. The reduced lead time for the machinery allows manufacturers to start producing faster than before and cope with seasonal peaks of demand for the poles. Consumers won't have delays in the delivery of their goods.                        Steel Pole Manufacturers. Pole manufacturers could get many advantages from this development:                    Lower investment in plant and equipment            Faster time to start production (meaning faster return on investment)                        
Another application for this development is the following:                Structural applications. This development might be used to manufacture special tubes and piping for structural applications.        
2. Description of the Prior Art
The normal manufacturing process of steel poles comprises the following steps.                Steel plates are fed directly into CNC (Computer Numerical Control) controlled plasma burning equipment and cut to the required dimensions. The shape and measurements of this piece are designed accordingly with the application of the finished pole.        The cut piece is then fed into a large break press. The piece of sheet metal is formed along a straight axis. The resultant piece might be a “V”-shaped, “U”-shaped, or semi cylindrical shaped piece. The type of shape is determined by the punch and die set of the press.        Two or more of these semi cylindrical shapes are welded together to produce a complete cylindrical structure. Components should be pre-heated according to AWS code parameters and then welded either with MIG (metal in gas welding by micro wire) or submerged arc devices.        After welding, and depending on the choice of finish, poles could be coated with urethane powder, painted or galvanized. Galvanized is the most common finish for these structures.        